


Living Behind the Line

by Thepracticalheartmom



Series: Finding Ourselves [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:55:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27750112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thepracticalheartmom/pseuds/Thepracticalheartmom
Summary: Part 3 of the Deja Vu story! Reader's getting used to life as Steve and Bucky's soulmate, and she's learning about the risks that go along with it.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader
Series: Finding Ourselves [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970611
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	Living Behind the Line

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LucindaAM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucindaAM/gifts), [Mrsxfredweasley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrsxfredweasley/gifts).



> The third installment of Finding Ourselves has been a long time coming. Thank you to the lovely LucindaAM for helping me with this. You're amazing!

You woke up the next morning to the smell of breakfast and coffee. You smiled as you stretched and got up. You yawned as you walked into the living room. Your apartment was spotless and you noticed a basket of clean, folded laundry next to your door. “You two have been busy. A girl could get spoiled like this.”

Bucky smiled and pointed at the table, he set a plate piled high with french toast, eggs and bacon in front of you. Steve sat down with a plate on your other side and Bucky came back with his own plate, setting it down. “We like spoiling you, doll. How do you take your coffee?”

“Just like my soul.”

“So a glass of milk?”

“I meant black,” you laughed, “But I do like a couple of teaspoons of sugar in it”

Bucky laughed and brought you a cup of coffee, sitting beside you with his own cup. You began to eat together, and smiled at the domestic scene you’d created together. You hoped that there would be more of those. 

“So we were thinking that we should probably go to the tower and get started on some of those security measures we talked about. At least the secure phone. We want to be able to check in with you while we’re on missions, and we never really know when we’re going to get called in.”

“Well, since you cleaned my apartment and did my laundry, I just happen to be free today. Seriously though you two, you didn’t need to do that. I really appreciate it though.”

Bucky leaned over and kissed your cheek. “We love you doll, we just wanted you to be able to relax. We know that you’ve had to deal with a lot lately and we want you to be happy.”

“I am happy, how could I not be? I have two of the best men around as soulmates. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

After breakfast, Steve insisted on doing the dishes. You stepped into your closet, looking around for something to wear to the compound. “What do you wear to meet your superhero soulmates’ family? That’s not a question I’ve ever asked myself before. Get it together y/n, this is no different than what they did last night. Dress nicely and no one will think anything different of it.”

The boys could hear you out in the living room. “She’s nervous Buck, do you think it’s too soon?”

“No, she’ll be fine.”

You pulled out a nice pair of jeans, comfortable to move in but still nice enough to be out and about in. Then you thumbed through your blouses, opting for a soft green blouse that you loved. You put on a pair of black sneakers, did you hair and makeup and headed for the door. “I’m ready when you are.”

“You look beautiful, doll.” Steve said with a smile. 

“Absolutely gorgeous.” Bucky kissed your cheek and led you out the door.

“My car or the subway?” 

“Let’s take your car, doll, I’d like to have Tony take a look at it and see what can be done to make it safer.” Steve replied softly. You fished your keys out of your purse and handed them to Steve. 

“Alright, but you’re driving.”

Steve laughed “No problem doll, let’s get going.”

The drive to the compound was short, and Bucky wasted no time telling you stories about Steve before the serum. “There was this one time, I took Steve to Coney Island, I got him to go on the coaster with me, poor guy just couldn’t do it. I thought I was gonna have to carry him home.”

“I wasn’t that bad Buck!” Steve protested pulling up to a gate. 

“Uh huh, you were as green as the underside of a boat.”

Steve rolled his eyes and pulled into a garage, handing you back your keys and leading you to an elevator. 

“Let’s start with your phone, we’ll take you down to the lab to get a Starkphone and Starkpad from Tony, he’ll be able to better explain some of the more techy security stuff to you. We’ll need to discuss the other stuff later. I still think you’d be better off with at least one agent when we can’t be with you.” Steve explained, Bucky slipped his hand around your waist and kissed your cheek. 

“We just want you to be safe.”

You nodded your head, “Let’s get started.”

The lab looked like something out of a science fiction novel, holograms projected above tables replaced the computer screens you were used to working on. Tony was hunched over some new invention. “Hey Tony,” Steve announced yourselves. “We came by to get y/n’s new secure tech.”

Tony looked up. “Hey y/n, nice to see you again. Let’s free you of that apple garbage, I’ve got two of the latest models for you to use here, they’re faster and more secure so you won’t have to worry about using them to get in touch with us.”

Tony transferred your information and data from your phone to the new one, and then did the same for your laptop and ipad. “There all done. F.R.I.D.A.Y. is installed and she can help you with anything else you need.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“She’s the AI that runs the compound.”

“Hello Ms. Y/N, I’m always available if you need anything at all.” A female voice startled you.

“Oh! That’s neat.”

“It can take a little while to get used to, but she’s as much as part of the team as Bucky or I.” Steve smiled. “Let’s go upstairs and we can talk about what other security measures you’re comfortable with before the rest of the team decides they want to steal you away to get to know you.”

You smiled, checking out your new phone. It was your favorite color, how Tony’d known was beyond you, but it made you smile. You snapped a photo with Steve and Bucky and made it your lock screen. “There, now anytime I miss you I can just check my phone and I’ll be able to see you.”

“Will you send that to us?” Bucky asked. “I want to make it my lockscreen too.”

You sent it to them in a group message and stepped into the elevator again. You went up to nearly the top floor, stepping out into what appeared to be a common room. 

“Our apartment is over here, doll. Let’s go sit down in our living room and figure out what you’re comfortable with and then we’ll figure out what tech we need from Tony and fill out the paperwork if we need a detail for you.”

You smiled as the two made space between them for you on the couch. You loved the feeling of safety surrounded by your two soulmates. There was nothing better than being curled up between the two of them. 

“Alright y/n, so we’re going to be a little bit brutally honest with you, we don’t want to scare you, but you need to know what’s going on so you can make a decision. If it gets to be too much, tell us and we’ll take a break ok?” Bucky turned face you, his eyes giving away just how serious he was. You nodded. 

“Let’s get started.”

Steve pulled out a couple of folders. They went over the types of people that could come after her. Terrorists, HYDRA, arms traders, drug traffickers, and other unsavory people that could hurt you. Steve kept a protective arm around you as Bucky detailed the security issues with your apartment. It wasn’t in a bad neighborhood, but there weren’t enough lights, and the door needed to be upgraded. “Your apartment has a fire escape, which makes an easy escape route for you, but also a way for someone to get up to your apartment without being seen. We know that you’re hesitant, but we want to install those cameras we told you about. We don’t need to monitor them all the time, but we need to know that you’re going to be safe, doll.”

Steve handed you a handful of packets of paper. They each detailed a safety plan, labelled by color, green being the least restrictive, and red being the most restrictive, with all the safety measures they could possibly take, including an implanted tracker in your hip. It was official, you were scared and overwhelmed. 

“I need a break.” You burst out. Tears stinging your eyes. “This.. this is just a lot.”

“I know Doll,” Bucky pulls you into his chest, Steve follows and they sandwich you between them. “I’m so sorry, but we have to protect you. You mean so much to us. You’ve already been taken once, we can’t let that happen again.”

You nod against Bucky’s chest, “I know, this is hard, but I know that you both only want to keep me safe, I just wish there was an easier way.”

“Can I think about it?”

“Sure doll, you can think about it. One of us will stay with you until you decide.” Steve murmured pressing a soft kiss in your hair. 

You excused yourself to the bathroom. You stepped inside and locked the door, sliding down to the floor. You tried to get your heart under control but you knew it was beating through your chest. You were certain that the two super soldiers outside would be able to hear it. You took a couple of deep breaths, but it felt like you were breathing through a straw. Images flashing through your head of all of the ways you could die. Your nails found purchase in the skin on your arms, digging in until they drew blood. You curled into a ball on the floor, hyperventilating. 

Steve and Bucky sat on the other side of the door, they could hear your distress. “Doll, let us in please. We want to help.”

You couldn’t focus your thoughts to hear them, only crying harder. You began to draw blood on your arms and your vision was fading in and out. Your thoughts began to flood the connection between you, Bucky and Steve. 

Images of you being hurt in horrible ways flashed through your mind and the connection. Then images of a huge needle going into your body. _ Breathe. Y/n, come on breathe  _ you were chanting to yourself in your thoughts, but you were trapped. Trapped.

_ Breathe doll, come on breathe for me.  _ You could hear Bucky’s thoughts in your head, but you just couldn’t quite grab on to the circumstance. 

Outside the door, Steve was peering underneath trying to decide if he could break down the door safely. 

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.?” Steve asked “Can you unlock the door?”

The door clicked and Bucky rushed in. He dropped to his knees and drew you into his arms. “Doll, I’m right here, I need you to breathe in for me, deep breaths, feel my hands on your arms.”

You took a deep breath, feeling like you were drowning. You leaned your head against Bucky’s chest, and began to breathe with him, listening to the steady beat of his heart as you finally began to calm down. 

Bucky carried you back out to the couch. Your hands were fisted in his shirt. Steve noticed the bloody scratches on your arms and grabbed a first aid kit. He cleaned the scratches and quietly bandaged them. There was a knock at the door, Steve stood to answer it, and Natasha walked in. 

“Did you do exactly what I told you not to?”

“We showed her the files and explained the risks.”

Natasha smacked Steve in the back of the head. “You two are idiots.””

She knelt beside you. “Come here y’n, let’s go talk.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for coming along for the ride. Let me know what you think!


End file.
